Backbone one Gen2 review – Best Mobile Gaming Controller for Android & iPhone

Last Updated on February 21, 2026

I purchased Backbone One and connected it to my iPhone 15. Here are my impressions.

The Limitations of Virtual Gamepads

When playing games like Genshin Impact, unless you connect a gamepad via Bluetooth, you’ll be playing the game using a virtual gamepad that appears on the display, which I don’t think is a great gaming experience.

Using a virtual gamepad limits the content that can be displayed on the screen, and since it does not have physical buttons, players often get frustrated when they are unable to press buttons correctly.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miHoYo.GenshinImpact&hl=ja

By attaching Backbone, you can operate it with physical buttons

Naturally, the Backbone is a device with buttons for controlling games, which means you can control the game with real buttons that make it more intuitive to control the game.

By connecting a Bluetooth controller to your smartphone while displaying the screen on a display using an HDMI cable, you can use your smartphone like a stationary game console, but by using this controller as well, it seems like it could become both a stationary and portable game console, like the Nintendo Switch.

Tried playing FlashParty with Backbone and iPhone 15

I connected Backbone One to my iPhone 15 and tried out Flash Party.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flash-party/id1579850555

Flashparty is a Super Smash Bros.-like game developed by a Chinese company.

There are limitations to controlling a game like Super Smash Bros. using touch buttons displayed on the screen. Because the screen is flat, it’s hard to see where you’re actually touching when you’re concentrating on playing the game, and visibility is poor because your fingers are covering the screen.

Using Backbone One has given me a better gaming experience and made me much stronger in matches.

Backbone Brand

Backbone is a gaming controller device for smartphones developed in the United States.

Backbone founder and CEO Maneet Khaira started developing the platform while working at Google. Backbone then launched in 2021 and has created an ecosystem wherein numerous gaming platforms are available in one place on mobile.

https://www.pocketgamer.biz/backbone-raises-40-million

https://backbone.com

https://www.youtube.com/@PlayBackbone

Backbone One is sold on Apple’s official website

Backbone One is a device that can be purchased on the official Apple website.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/hrdg2zm/a/backbone-one-mobile-gaming-controller-usb-c-2nd-generation

Backbone one has some Models

Backbone has a variety of models, including models that are compatible with iPhone Lightning cables, models that are compatible with Type-C, Xbox models, etc. You can compare each model on the Backbone official website below.

https://backbone.com/pages/compare

Where to buy Backbone

You can purchase Backbone at the following locations:

• Apple Official Store
• Amazon